


the optimum

by lauraxtennant



Series: Sharing a Bed Collection [5]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Huddling For Warmth, Humor, Romance, Sexual Content, Sharing Body Heat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-27
Updated: 2014-11-27
Packaged: 2018-02-27 06:27:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2682551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lauraxtennant/pseuds/lauraxtennant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor and Rose take shelter in a cave, where they huddle together for warmth and discuss the Doctor's biology.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the optimum

“Why do we get ourselves into these situations?” Rose grumbled, crossing her arms.

The Doctor grinned. “I’m glad you’re not solely blaming me this time.”

“Yeah, well. I admit that it was my idea to hike all the way up here. But!” She pointed at him. “You didn’t tell me that the temperature drops so dramatically after midday!” She shivered. “God, it’s freezing.”

“We’ll be okay in here,” the Doctor assured her, gesturing to the cave they were standing in. He shrugged out of his long coat and handed it to her. “An hour or two tops, then we’ll head back out there.”

She worried her bottom lip as she pulled his coat around herself. “What if we still can’t find the TARDIS?”

“We will.” He clapped his hands together. “Now, how about we explore this cave, hmm?”

Rose looked warily to her left, where the cave narrowed. “We’re going in there?”

“For warmth, Rose!” The Doctor smiled, rocking back on his heels. “Why, are you scared of going deeper into the rock?”

“No. Not scared.” She straightened her shoulders. “Just trying to be sensible about this. What if someone comes along and, I dunno, puts a big boulder in front of the entrance and we can’t get out? Ever think of that? Hmm?”

“Rose. This planet is uninhabited. No one’s going to come along and trap us in here.”

She frowned. “If you’re sure…”

“Yes! Come on,” he said, holding out his hand, wiggling his fingers.

She grabbed it and let him lead her through the cave, listening as he nattered on about the weather and the sediment and how beautiful the sunset was going to be later that day.

Then, she spotted something. “Er, Doctor?”

“And what’s really great is, nothing ever spoils it! None of you lot come along to colonise, disrupting the environment - ”

“Doctor.”

“ - of course, there are a couple of solar flares in a few centuries’ time, which almost blow the planet out of orbit, but luckily it adapts by using - ”

“Doctor!”

He shut his mouth with a click and stared at what she was pointing at. “Ah.”

“Uninhabited, yeah?” she remarked wryly, arching an eyebrow.

The Doctor let go of her hand and wandered over to the pile of blankets on a ledge in the cave. Rummaging around, he suddenly exclaimed, “Aha!”

“What is it?” Rose asked, her eyes darting around the vicinity to check they weren’t going to be ambushed.

“Look, Rose!” He rushed over to her and waved a piece of paper in her face.

Confused, she took it off him and had a look.

_Use the blankets. Stay warm. Enjoy! x_

“That’s your handwriting,” she realised. She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’ve been here before?”

“Evidently we come back and leave all of this delightful stuff for ourselves.”

“Is that allowed?”

“Where’s the harm?” He grinned, and pulled her over to the bed of blankets and cushions. “Look, a flask of tea and some biscuits! Aw, our future selves are so kind.”

“So, wait, we’ll have to do this at some point, come back here to leave this stuff to like, close the paradox?”

The Doctor had already shoved two custard creams into his mouth. “Mmhm!”

Rose shrugged and helped herself to one, still holding the note in her other hand. She glanced at it again. “Hold on, what do you mean, ‘enjoy?’”

“Probably referring to these,” he suggested, picking up a packet of Rose’s favourite sweets from Morana Four. He tossed them in the air and Rose reached over with a laugh, snatching them from his grasp.

“Ooh! Haven’t had these in ages!”

The Doctor smiled at her and sat down on the ledge, patting the space next to him. “Come on, wrap yourself up in the blankets.”

“Did we leave ourselves a board game or something? To help us pass the time? You really should keep a pack of cards in those bigger on the inside pockets of yours, Doctor - what?”

He looked affronted. “Help us pass the - Rose Tyler, are you suggesting that you can’t sit here and just chat for two hours with your best mate, without getting bored?”

Rose laughed. “Sorry, didn’t mean to imply such a thing.”

The Doctor fiddled with his tie, sniffing. “Should think not!”

She got cosy under the blankets, resting her head on the Doctor’s shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her. “Don’t you want some?”

“Hmm?”

“Aren’t you cold? Don’t you want to get under the blankets too?”

“Oh.” He tugged on his ear. “Well, all right. It is a bit nippy.”

She manoeuvred the blankets so that they were covering both of their laps. “Doctor, have you done this often?”

“Sit in a cave? I know I used to be a bit of a hermit, Rose, but I didn’t resort to that.”

“No!” Rose laughed. “I meant, leaving yourself messages and stuff.”

“Oh, right. No, not really. Occasionally, but no, not often.”

“Why now, then?”

“Evidently I didn’t want you to freeze your little nose off.”

She smiled. “Hardly life or death though, is it?”

“Could be!” he retorted. “Who knows, your fragile human body could get hypothermia without all this.” He gave her a squeeze, holding her tighter. “Best to take precautions.”

“Yeah.” She paused, then looked up at him with a cheeky grin. “Do you really think I’ve got a little nose?”

The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Well, it’s hardly a beak like mine, is it?” he replied, leaning down and demonstrating by sliding his nose along her cheek, making her giggle.

“It’s cold!” she squealed, jerking, her own nose bumping into his.

He didn’t withdraw. “So’s yours.” He nuzzled her nose for a few seconds, murmuring, “On some planets, doing this is the height of indecency.”

Rose pulled her head back to squint at him. “Really?”

He nodded, sitting up straight again. “Yep! On Carfordia, rubbing noses is the most intimate thing one can do.”

“So like, what, that’s the equivalent, is it, for them? For…you know.”

“Equivalent for what?”

She huffed. “For sex.”

He chuckled. “I knew what you meant, just wanted to hear you say it.” She whacked his chest and he continued, “Sort of, yeah. They don’t have external reproductive organs, what you would describe as ‘genitals,’ but - ”

“Okay. This conversation got weird.”

“Why weird?” the Doctor remarked. “Perfectly natural for you to be curious about different alien anatomy.”

Rose felt a blush rising on her cheeks. “Right…”

“Are you? Curious?”

“Not really,” she mumbled, fidgeting. “Do you mind if I have a nap?”

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. “Boring you already, am I?”

“It’s not that, I just…” She let out a long breath. “We’ve had a busy few days, and I dunno, maybe it’s the cold making it worse, but I just realised how tired I am.”

He dropped his arm from around her and gestured to the ledge. “Be my guest. Cushions should be comfy, so you don’t have to worry about laying on the hard rock.”

“Thanks. And you’ll wake me up when it’s warm enough outside for us to head back out?”

“Of course.” He smiled at her. “Go on, get forty winks.”

Rose shuffled around a bit, curling up on her side and snuggling under the blankets. “Oh, wait.” She lifted her head to look at him. Their different positions meant the blankets had slipped from his lap. “I’ve stolen all the covers, you’re gonna be cold.”

“I’ll be all right.”

“No, come here,” she offered, pointing with her thumb to the spot behind her.

The Doctor cleared his throat. “Are you sure?”

“Yep.”

He got to his knees and crawled into the space behind her, pushing aside the biscuits and sweets. He bent his legs into the same position as hers, but didn’t scoot close enough to touch.

“Comfy?” she asked.

“Yeah. You?”

“Snug as a bug in a rug,” she replied, and he laughed.

“Good.”

Rose went quiet after that, dozing off in minutes. In her sleep, she shifted backwards, moulding herself to the Doctor’s shape. He chuckled to himself at first, especially when she pressed her bum into the back of his hand, where it lay in between them. He lifted his arm, wrapping it around her waist, thinking nothing of it. They hugged all the time. Sometimes cuddled on the sofa. Nothing new in this, not really.

But the Doctor hadn’t anticipated what a wriggler Rose Tyler was in her sleep. The back of her all pressed up against the front of him, her round bum snugly pressed against his crotch. He inhaled a deep breath and shifted his hips backwards an inch, putting a little distance between their lower halves. It didn’t work; she just shifted hers back too, to accomodate. He kept his eyes wide open, refusing to let himself nod off in such a position. It was fine all the while she was still, but occasionally she’d twitch and squirm and -

“Rose,” he whispered. His hand on her abdomen flexed, his fingers tapping lightly to try to gently rouse her. He knew she’d be embarrassed if he woke her to tell her that certain parts of her were rubbing against certain parts of him, but the way he saw it, it was better than the alternative.

“What?” she mumbled sleepily, when he said her name a little louder.

He couldn’t help himself. “Thought you said you weren’t curious about alien anatomy.”

“What?” she repeated, and he pressed his lips together to hold in a chuckle. She seemed to process what he’d said, then, because her hips jerked forwards and there was space between them again. “Sorry, was sleeping.”

“I know. It’s okay.”

They were silent for a few minutes, then Rose murmured, “Maybe I am a bit.”

“Hmm?”

“Curious.” He heard her take in a deep breath, evidently steadying herself, and he grinned as he waited for her to ask her question. “So, like. You look like a human bloke.”

“Well, human blokes look Time Lord. We were around first.”

“Right. So you have…all the same parts?”

The Doctor chuckled. “Nearly two years you’ve travelled with me. How long have you been waiting to ask me that?”

“Um. Nearly two years?” she laughed, sounding embarrassed.

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes, I do have the ‘same parts.’”

“Okay,” she squeaked.

He practically felt her hesitate. “Go on. Ask your next question.”

“Sure it’s not too personal?”

“Rose, you’re my best friend. I know almost everything about you. I think I can handle a couple of personal questions.”

“Does it work the same way?”

He burst out laughing. “Yes.”

“Oh, okay.”

“You sound almost disappointed.”

“No, it’s not - I just thought maybe it wasn’t the same, for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Yes it does,” he insisted, using his arm around her to tug her onto her back, wanting to meet her eyes.

Her cheeks were flushed. “It’s just - we do a lot of things together that might’ve made someone with - with that equipment - well, you know.”

He furrowed his brow. “What?”

“If - if it works the same way, then that means that you just don’t - that it’s me that isn’t - god, look, let’s just forget it, I can’t say it. It’s too embarrassing.” She exhaled roughly. “Like you said before. We’re best friends.”

“Yes, so you can tell me anything. Rose, please, what is it?”

“Okay but I can’t look at you when I say it,” she said, rolling back onto her side, dislodging his arm. “We hug a lot, sometimes long, full body hugs, you know? And sometimes we have to share beds in the places we stay. And like, you saw me naked that time I had an allergic reaction to the fabric of that dress on Peros.”

“Your point?”

Rose huffed. “I dunno, just thought if things all worked the same way then maybe you’d…react.”

“React? You mean to physical and visual stimulation? As in…react sexually?”

“Oh, my god. Doctor.”

“I’m just trying to understand your point.”

“Yes, then. To those things.”

“Well, yes. It could, theoretically, ‘react.’ In that way.”

“Theoretically. You mean, if it was with someone you were attracted to.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Rose, I can switch all that off.”

“What?”

“My sex drive. It’s not an imperative for me. In fact, usually it’s not even that I need to actively switch it off, it just doesn’t - look, I can’t go around ‘reacting’ willy-nilly. I just don’t work that way. There has to be more, there, emotionally. The most beautiful women in the universe could parade through this cave naked right this instant, and I wouldn’t feel a thing, not a single sexual response, because I don’t know them, don’t…have feelings for them.”

“Oh.”

“Does that - does that make sense?”

“Yeah.”

“It doesn’t sound as if it does.”

Rose shrugged a shoulder. “It’s all right, I get it now.”

“Rose, you were hurt. That day on Peros. Getting you naked was a necessity, and - well, what you’re suggesting was the furthest thing from my mind.”

She rolled onto her back again and met his gaze. “Yeah. And I know I should be happy about that, because that means you just cared about me getting better, but after, it didn’t stop me wondering if you’d even noticed.”

“In those moments, all that mattered was that you were going to be okay. Besides, I’m your Doctor, but I’m also your actual doctor. Bit unprofessional, not to mention disrespectful, for your GP to be thinking inappropriate thoughts, wouldn’t you say?”

“Of course. I’m just - I’m just being silly. Sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologise.”

Rose reached her hand forwards to fiddle with his jacket lapel. “It’s just that sometimes you say things or you’ll look at me and I’ll think that maybe you want…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “But you’ve never actually…you know. So I don’t know why I still think like that, I - ”

“Like I said, I can control things like that. Blimey, you humans. Just because I don’t have an erection every time we have a long hug doesn’t mean - ”

“Doctor!” Her hands flew to her face as she cringed.

 _“Listen,”_ he chided, reaching up and moving one of her hands, linking their fingers together. “It doesn’t mean that things aren’t, well, happening. For me.” He cleared his throat. “Feelings-wise. Thoughts-wise.” She was staring at him with her mouth open so he continued, “Besides. If I’d fallen asleep earlier, with you all pressed up against me, well. Can’t stop myself reacting if I’m not awake.”

Her lips twitched. “Wait. So that’s why you woke me up? ‘Cos if you’d fallen asleep with me then we might’ve woken up later with you all…”

A blush rose to his cheeks and he coughed awkwardly. “Well, possibly. Especially if you’d been dreaming and…”

“If I’d been dreaming?”

“Yes. Well, either one of us. Obviously I have the occasional dream of that sort too. But you, blimey.”

“No, but what? How do you know what I dream about?”

He lifted an eyebrow at her.

“You - you can’t - ” she stuttered, snatching her hand from his, “You can’t tell, can you? Oh my god. Can you read my mind?”

“No!” he assured her quickly. “Of course not. I’d never go into your head without permission!”

“Then how…?” Her eyes widened and she groaned. “Oh, no. You can tell when I’m _aroused?”_

He shrugged. “It’s no big deal - ”

“No big deal? No big - Doctor, it’s humiliating.”

“It needn’t be. Perfectly natural. Not your fault I’ve got superior senses and can tell - ”

“Wait so can you tell when I… you know.”

He smiled at her sheepishly. “Mmhm.”

Rose rolled onto her front, grumbling into a cushion.

Stroking his hand across her back, trying to soothe her, he said, “I’m sorry. Maybe I should have mentioned this before. It’s just a bit difficult to bring up in casual conversation, you know? But really, Rose, you don’t need to be embarrassed. It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

She groaned again and lifted her head to whine, “You’re used to it? That makes it worse! That makes it sound like I’m horny all the time and you’ve had to consciously tune it out!”

“I meant that I’m used to it in terms of humans in general.” Then, he smirked, “But, well, now you mention it, you are quite the randy thing, even for a human.”

Her hand shot out and she poked him in the chest. “I hate you.”

“No you don’t.” He chuckled. “Rose, look at me. Rose. I’m sorry for teasing. Come on, turn over.” He tugged at his coat, which she was still wearing, and she heaved a sigh as she reluctantly faced him again. “You can ask me another personal question, if you like. Like I said earlier, I know quite a lot about you…” He waggled his eyebrows.

She stuck her tongue out at him, but then considered his offer, her eyes lighting up. “Oh. Hmm. So, if you can tell when I…bit unfair that I don’t even know _if_ you…”

“Yes.”

“Yes, it’s unfair, or yes, you do?”

“Both.”

Her breath hitched. “Right.”

“You look surprised.”

“I just never imagined you doing…that.”

“No? Never?”

“What? Oh. No! I don’t…” She flushed. “Why would I think about you in that way?”

“I thought - er - ” He cut himself off, glancing to the side.

“You thought what?” she blustered.

He brushed an imaginary bit of dust off her shoulder. “Dunno.”

“No, go on, say it.”

Meeting her gaze with a defiant expression, he said indignantly, “Fine, I will. I thought you fancied me.” At her astounded look, he continued, “I mean, why wouldn’t you? Look at me.”

Rose sighed. “Doctor - ”

“But that’s fine. That’s, I, er, I obviously misread you.”

“Misread me?”

“Mm. All those - those signs. Signals.” He looked upwards, tongue touching the back of his teeth in thought. “Must have got confused.”

“Signals? What?”

He squinted at her. “Did I get confused? Were they for someone else? Who - no, it’s none of my business. But you - no, it’s all right. I’ll just - that’s fine.”

“Let me just - I’m so confused. Do you want me to fancy you? ‘Cos I thought - ”

“What did you think?”

“I thought that wasn’t something that was…acceptable. To you. Didn’t think you’d be comfortable with it.”

“I - you do, then?”

Rose rolled her eyes. “Seriously?”

His lips twitched, and he shifted closer to her, his palm resting on her waist. “It’s okay if you do. It’s more than okay.”

“It’s not just…” She bit into her bottom lip.

His hand glided up her side, curling around her back, bringing her even closer. “Like I said earlier. For me, it’s - there’s more. Than just finding someone attractive. I mean, you’re - ” He swallowed hard. “You’re beautiful. But it’s…”

She fiddled with the button on his suit jacket, eyes focussed on her fingers. “You, er. You wouldn’t mind, then, if I said that it was more for me, too, with you?”

“Of course not. That would be the…optimum.”

“Then…” she exhaled, starting to smile. “That’s what it is.”

The Doctor grinned.

“Why’ve you not said? Before, I mean,” she asked.

“Well, at first you had a boyfriend. And then I changed my face, so that was a bit tricky for a while, not knowing whether you’d see I was still me. And then I just…got scared. I mean, I was scared the whole time, but you - things were rocky, I didn’t know if you’d - and then, lately, I’ve been trying to hint…”

“You have?”

“Well, I thought maybe one day you might just, you know. Make the first move.”

“I nearly have, sometimes. But I kept convincing myself that it’d just be embarrassing, that you’d reject me.”

“Oh, Rose. That’s not going to happen.”

She smiled shyly and wriggled closer to him, slipping her arm around his waist, the tip of her nose touching the tip of his. “So,” she whispered. “If I…now, if I…”

“Yes,” he whispered back.

Rose breached the inch of distance that separated their mouths, pressing her lips to his. She was so nervous that she felt like her lips were shaking, so she kept the kiss brief, tender. But as she broke away, the Doctor followed, his hand coming up to cup her jaw, his mouth angling over hers to grasp her bottom lip between his, sucking lightly. Rose made a small sound of pleasure, and urged him to deepen the kiss, her hand clutching the back of his jacket as their mouths parted.

Within a couple of minutes Rose was on her back, the Doctor leaning over her, their kisses escalating in intensity. The blankets still covered them, cocooning them in their own heat.

“Need to get out of this coat,” she panted, feeling overheated.

He waggled his eyebrows at her.

“Shut up,” she said, wriggling around beneath him as she got her arms out of his coat. Then, still too warm, she shrugged out of her own jacket, too.

He helped her shift both garments out of the way, then returned his mouth to hers.

“Wait, gotta catch my breath,” Rose said, starting to giggle, as she pushed at his chest.

The Doctor grinned, lowering his mouth to her neck instead, teeth nibbling gently as he made his way down. His fingers grabbed the hem of her t-shirt, tugging it downwards slightly to expose her collarbone, before starting to suck.

“Oh, god,” she mumbled, tightening her grip on his hair, her eyes fluttering closed.

When his hands slipped under her shirt, she gasped.

He looked up at her. “Is this not - ”

“No, it’s fine, it’s just, your hands are really cold,” she laughed.

The Doctor danced his fingers up her ribs, and she shivered. “Is it okay if I warm them up? You are very hot, after all.”

She bit her lip, unable to contain her grin. “Am I?”

“Mmhmm.” His thumbs brushed against the lace of her bra. _“Extremely.”_

Impulsively, Rose reached down and placed her hands around his wrists through the fabric of her top, moving his hands up until they cupped her fully.

He squeezed lightly. “Well,” he murmured, clearing his throat. “This is certainly…yep.”

“Anyone would think you’re new to boobs,” she giggled.

“Not new, exactly. Not very experienced, though, either. And yours are…yeah, I’m just gonna have to keep my hands here forever, I think.”

“Could make it better, “ she suggested.

His eyes widened. “Sure?”

“Yeah.”

As she arched her back from the cushions purposefully, he reached around to find the clasp of her bra, fiddling for a few seconds before managing to unhook it.

Rose lifted her t-shirt off, then let her bra straps fall down her arms. The bra soon joined the pile of Rose’s clothes gathering over the side of the ledge.

Watching the Doctor staring at her chest, she smirked. “Okay there?”

“Mm,” he squeaked.

“You can touch, remember.”

“Right. Yes.” His hands returned to his earlier position, cupping and squeezing, and he smiled when her nipples pebbled as his thumbs swept across.

“Magic,” she teased.

He flashed her a smug look, then bent his head, lowering his mouth to her chest. When his tongue swirled around her areola, Rose arched into him.

As he explored and experimented with his lips, teeth, and tongue, discovering what she was most responsive to, discovering the sounds he could draw from her, his hands slid down her torso. Trailing a finger along the waistband of her jeans, he sought out the button, undoing it swiftly, followed by the zip. Releasing the breast he was sucking on, he lifted his head, sensing her heart rate picking up.

“Do you want - is it okay if I - ” He tugged lightly on her open jeans.

“Yeah,” she exhaled roughly.

“Sure you’re warm enough? Don’t want to get you naked if you’re going to be uncomfortable.”

“Are you kidding? It’s boiling under these blankets. I’m fine.”

He smiled. “Sharing body heat is a bit brilliant, isn’t it?”

“Just a bit,” she laughed. “Aren’t you too hot, wearing all that? ‘Cos I’m thinking, if you’re getting rid of my jeans, you might as well get rid of your suit, too.”

“You see, this is why I keep you around,” he said, reaching up to his tie, pulling it loose. “You come up with all these great ideas.”

“I know, right? What would you even do without me?”

“Genuinely have no idea. Mope about, probably.”

“Here,” she said softly, nudging his hands aside and starting on his shirt buttons. “Let me.”

Once she reached the bottom, she pushed the shirt and his jacket off his shoulders, and they wriggled around a bit under the blankets as they wrestled with the material, trying to get his clothes off without disrupting their cocoon of warmth. He accidentally elbowed her and she groaned.

“Sorry!” he said quickly, crawling down a bit and kissing the rib he’d bumped.

“It’s all right,” she giggled, pulling him back up her body and into a snog, her fingers playing with the hair on the back of his neck. He lowered himself against her, bare chest to bare chest, and sighed contentedly into her mouth.

Her hands moved to his back, travelling in sweeping motions, feeling his warm skin, delighted that she was finally having him half-naked in her vicinity. Her lips left his and moved down his neck, biting where his shoulder began, then nuzzling, inhaling. “God, you smell good,” she murmured, then blushed.

The low rumble of his chuckle vibrated against her chest, and he buried his face in her neck, giving her the same treatment. “So you do. You always smell so good. Makes it hard to focus.” He licked a path up to her jaw and she squirmed, giggling. “What I was saying earlier? About tuning you out. Sometimes it’s too difficult. It’s like your pheromones are potent, I…”

“Pheromones? Didn’t think that was a thing for humans.” She raked her fingers down his back and he jerked against her. She could feel him, hot and hard, pressing against the fabric of his trousers, against _her._

“Mmm.” He nibbled on her jaw. “You secrete them when you’re aroused. I’ve got an excellent olfactory system, remember, so I can detect them easily.” His lips closed around her earlobe and sucked, before releasing it with a pop. “Have to make more of a conscious effort to suppress…well.”

She shifted her hips, rocked against him. “And now?” she smirked.

“Oh, it’s hopeless even trying now. You’re much too delicious to tune out in such close contact.”

Rose grabbed his bum, squeezing, pulling him tighter against her. “Can you…” Her hands slipped under the waistband of his trousers, and she laughed as she felt his bare bum beneath her palms. “No pants, Doctor? Seriously?”

“Ah. Yes, well. Sometimes I forget.”

“You, the man of many layers - ”

“Yep. Anyway, you can talk.”

“What does that mean? I’m wearing knickers!”

“Right now you are, yes. You went knickerless that night you wore the red dress, though. When we went to St Lucia and danced on the beach.”

“That was - that was just - it wasn’t _intentional_ , it was ‘cos we went paddling in the sea and then the wave caught me and they got all wet and uncomfortable, so once my dress had dried a bit I just…how did you know anyway?” Her eyes widened and she yanked his head up from where he was sampling the taste of her shoulder. “It was dark, I didn’t think you’d be able to tell!”

He smiled, and stroked a strand of her hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “There was a bit of a breeze, and you were very drunk. When you twirled out as we danced, you didn’t realise that you accidentally gave yourself away.”

Her face flushed, but she laughed. “Oh my god. That’s so embarrassing. Still, s’pose it was nothing you hadn’t seen before, on Peros.”

“Exactly. Nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“No, but I guess it is a bit different, thinking about it…you were being all clinical on Peros - ”

"Quite rightly; as I said earlier, you were hurt and that’s all I was concerned about.”

“Right. But in St Lucia, I wasn’t hurt. And we were dancing and laughing and I was…”

“Incredibly turned on, yes, I noticed.”

“Doctor!”

“But you were drunk. I wasn’t about to think naughty things with you so unaware.”

“Thinking things wouldn’t be taking advantage, though.”

“It would feel like it.” He shrugged. “I respectfully averted my eyes when you accidentally flashed me, Rose Tyler. Would have felt far too guilty to then think about anything remotely inappropriate.”

Rose lifted her eyebrows. “You have such self-control. Even when I’m angry at you I still think about us having sex. Is there something wrong with me, do you think?”

The Doctor laughed. “No.” He trailed his hand down her arm, raising goosebumps. “I don’t know how long you’ve…felt this way, but for me, this has been building for nearly two years. I might exhibit a high degree of control when you’re in my presence, but, well.” He cleared his throat. “At other times, it’s a different story.”

She pressed her lips together to stop herself beaming foolishly at him. “Show me?”

His fingers stilled their journey across her skin. “What?”

“Show me what you do when you let go. When you’re…on your own.”

The Doctor gaped at her. “I…”

“Don’t these feel too tight right now?” she asked, tugging on his trousers. “About time you got them off.”

His smile stretched slowly across his face, and he leant off her, onto his side, as he fumbled with his trousers. “Fair’s fair, though,” he said, tilting his head in her direction.

She bit her lip and shoved her jeans down her legs to her shins, not bothering to take them off completely, far too impatient to bother with things like removing shoes at a time like this. The Doctor evidently felt the same, merely pushing his trousers down to his knees. Rose laughed, because they both looked a bit ridiculous, but she was so turned on by the sight of him hard and straining for her that she soon got over her giggles.

Meeting his dark gaze and keeping eye contact until his slipped to follow her movements, she slid a hand down her body and into her knickers. The Doctor, still lying to the side of her, rested his weight on one elbow to prop his head up, his free hand moving to grip his shaft.

Her breathing became laboured, watching him start to move his hand, increasing the pace of her own fingers, increasing the pressure. She squeezed her breast with her left hand, saw his eyes drawn to the move like a magnet, before flickering back to between her legs.

She’d never done this before, touched herself in front of someone else, never felt comfortable enough or brave enough. It had always been beneath her duvet, on her own, at the flat or on the TARDIS, frantic and fast and forcing herself to stay quiet. It felt liberating, doing this now, hearing the motion of his hand, seeing how riveted he was, watching her, the moan that rumbled in the back of his throat, the intensity of his eyes, the lust there, the love there -

The Doctor’s hand left his cock, then, and reached out towards her, tugging at the material of her knickers, pulling them down her thighs.

He met her gaze. “Sorry, is that - ”

She nodded quickly, drawing her legs up, her other hand moving down, glancing at him in brief apprehension before going with it, slipping a finger, then two, inside herself, maintaining the pressure on her clit at the same time. The Doctor scooted up a little, shifting for a better view, and then he kissed her shoulder, stroked his hand across her chest, palm skating across her nipple and then down, sweeping over her abdomen, the muscles there jumping under his touch. She moaned, stopped the pumping of her fingers and withdrew them, grabbing his hand from her stomach and urging his to be the replacement, letting her legs fall wide open to give him easier access.

The Doctor let her guide his fingers into place as he kissed her, his tongue sliding against hers. They groaned into each other’s mouths once two of his fingers were inside, and he moved them in and out torturously slowly. She bit into his bottom lip, needing more, and he growled, pressing closer to her as his hand moved faster, his cock at her hip, the pre-come smearing against her skin. The wet sounds of his fingers moving within her grew louder as she rocked her hips, and the stimulation, her rubbing of her clit and his of the spot inside her, made the pleasure rapidly build.

Panting against his lips, no longer capable of kissing, she clutched at his shoulder with her free hand, sticky fingers digging into his skin, and when the dam broke, when her pleasure reached its peak, she pressed her nose into his cheek, swearing and murmuring his name. The hand she’d been using on herself fell to her side, her clit abruptly far too sensitive for the slightest touch, but the Doctor’s fingers kept going inside her, slower now, easing her down. He pressed kisses to her cheek and jaw, then propped his head up on his hand again, watching her with rapt attention as she recovered.

When her eyes fluttered open, she stared at him, speechless.

“That was the most wonderful thing I’ve ever witnessed,” he told her. “Thank you for letting me watch.” Then, he tilted his head. “Well, and participate.”

She blew out a long, shaky breath, laughing weakly. “I…just, woah.”

He grinned, finally removing his fingers and sucking them into his mouth without thought. Rose gaped at him.

“Lovely,” he murmured, then stroked her hair back from her sweaty face.

She sighed, content, sated, but there was something sad there, too.

“What is it?” he frowned in concern, tracing the arch of her brows.

“I didn’t mean to, um…” She laughed, feeling silly for being embarrassed. “I wanted us both to, you know. Wanted to watch you…”

“Watch me what?”

“You know.”

“Say it.” He smiled, running his fingers down her sternum.

She huffed, narrowing her eyes at him playfully. “That was fantastic, but I wanted to watch you make yourself come, not me.”

He chuckled. “Ah. Well, that’s all right. Still got a little while before we should venture outside. Are you cold, by the way?” He reached over to where their nest of blankets had fallen away from them. “You must be. Here, let’s snuggle up again. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah. Plenty of time if you want to maybe…” He smiled at her sheepishly as he rocked into her hip. “Put this to better use than it’d get just with me and my hand.”

Rose giggled throatily, sweeping her hand through his hair. “I’d like that.”

“Yeah? Well, recover a bit first. You might spontaneously combust otherwise.”

“You think you’re so impressive, don’t you?”

“Can that really be in any doubt, these days?” he smirked.

“Mmm, well, we’ll have to see won’t we?” She tugged on his arm, pulling it around her for a cuddle. “First test: how patient can you be?”

“Rose, I’ve wanted to touch you like that for years. Think I could probably live on that high for a century before I become so desperate to be inside - oh, fuck, no, that’s just playing - Rose.” He groaned. “Yeah, that’s - keep…”

Her hand gripped him tight, pumping quickly, making his hips jerk against her. “You feel so good in my hand,” she whispered into his ear, as he shifted to lie atop her, burying his face in her neck. “Bet you’d feel even better inside me.”

He slipped into place between her legs, and as she guided his cock into position, he could feel her heat against the tip of him. She helped him inside, then placed both her hands on his bum, driving him deep.

“Yes,” they both hissed in unison, their cheeks brushing as the Doctor lifted his head.

“You feel…” he whispered, looking into her eyes. He didn’t finish his sentence. Instead, his hands grappled at the cushions either side of her head for purchase, holding on tight as he pulled out and thrust back in.

“Oh my god,” Rose gasped. She tilted her pelvis, wrapping her legs around him. “Oh, god, do that again.”

He did, slowly, drawing out the pleasure of it. He couldn’t stop staring at her. Even when hers fell shut, clenched tight in the ecstasy of it all, she could feel his eyes on her. And as he murmured her name, she knew, with a level of certainty she hadn’t ever felt before, that this, what they had, was so going to last. It had to. They were going to do this again, and again, and it meant - she felt -

“Rose,” the Doctor whispered a second time, and she met his intent gaze. “Do you…”

“More,” she urged, running her hands up his back. She clutched at his shoulders, her legs dropping from around him as she bucked her hips against his.

He watched as her expression turned coy, and arched an eyebrow. Daring her. Her request, when it came, was confident, slightly demanding. He slightly loved it.

“Faster.”

The Doctor smirked, moving an arm to hook under one of her knees, adjusting his position and his grip on both her and the cushions beside her head for optimum efficiency, speeding up the pace of his thrusts. Within minutes, Rose was coming again, and the feel her of her around him, the pleasure of hearing her groan out his name, had him following swiftly after her. His thrusts slowed to a stop, burying his face in her neck to muffle his nonsense words, overwhelmed by the sensation of her muscles still fluttering around him as he softened inside her. The flood of endorphins running through his system made him giggle, just a bit.

Eventually, panting for breath, the Doctor rolled to his side, grinning from ear to ear as Rose giggled happily to herself. Unable to resist, he dropped a quick kiss to the top of the breast closest to him, then moved onto his back, sighing in contentment as stared upwards, unseeing, his eyes glazed over and unfocused.

He considered how ridiculous he’d been for being so wary of this, of showing her how he felt, of experiencing this with her. If he’d known how marvelous it would feel, he reckoned he’d have got over his nerves and told her he loved her months ago. Well, at the very least, he could’ve implied it. Or, well, maybe just told her the basics, the fancying bit, the bit that would have likely led to them doing this on their many occasions snuggled up on the sofa in the TARDIS, as opposed to…in a freezing cold cave.

It was, he realised then, slightly arctic in there, now that they’d ceased with the heat-building activities. He glanced at Rose, who was hastily getting back into her clothes, and shivered. Yes, clothes were a good idea.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, as he leant over her to fetch his shirt. “This isn’t the most romantic of scenarios involving post-coital bliss.”

Rose laughed even as her teeth chattered. “It’s fine. Totally typical of us.” She passed him his jacket and finished buttoning up hers, then pulled his coat and the blankets back over them both, snuggling into his side. “You don’t regret it though, right?”

He turned his head towards her, looking alarmed. “No. Do you?”

“Course not. Wanted that for ages.”

The Doctor smiled. “Me too.”

They stared at each other for a few moments, quiet and happy. Then, Rose’s eyelids started to feel heavy. “Blimey,” she murmured, through a yawn. “Could definitely do with a nap, now.”

“Well,” he murmured, reaching up to stroke her hair back from her face. “There’s still some time before we can brave the weather out there. I’ll wake you in a little while.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“And then.” She paused, biting her lip. “And then, we’ll, um. Go back to the TARDIS.”

“Yep.”

“And…?”

“Well, get some proper sleep, I expect. Or we could grab a bite to eat first, get some nourishment.”

“Sounds good. And, the sleeping bit, it would be - together?”

“If - if you want to share a bed. Yes.”

“I want to share,” she said quickly. “Do _you_ want to share?”

The Doctor wrapped his arm around her, his expression soft. “I do, yeah.”

She gave him a sleepy smile, relieved. “Then that’s - ”

“Perfect,” he whispered.

“Yeah.” Her smile widened. “Yeah, exactly.”


End file.
